Looking to build off a gutsy win in Sault Ste Marie last weekend, the North Bay Battalion welcomed the Erie Otters to town on Thursday.
Unfortunately for the Troops, the Otters skated away with a 4-3 win in overtime courtesy of a highlight reel game winner by Otters defenceman Matthew Schaeffer, who has been projected by some scouts as the first pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft next summer.
“I liked the effort from our guys for the most part,” head coach Ryan Oulahen said. “Didn’t love our first period, but certainly really loved our second and third, just the way we hunted pucks and created a lot of turn overs with our sticks and winning battles and being aggressive.
“I would like to bottle that up, the second and third, it’s a pretty good recipe for us to have some success against a really, really good hockey team over there. They have some really good weapons and it’s unfortunate the result, but at the end of the day when you get to overtime, they have some elite guys that made some nice plays.”
Erie got the party started just over four minutes in as Malcom Spence (12) toe dragged around a Battalion defender and roofed the puck over North Bay’s netminder, Mike McIvor, to put the Otters up 1-0.
North Bay got it back a few minutes later, however. After some great offensive pressure, Shamar Moses was able to get a shot on Otters goalie Noah Erliden. The rebound bounced to a sharp angle and newcomer Nick Wellenreiter (1) directed the puck back into the open net for his first OHL goal. On the ensuing faceoff, the Troops had a defensive miscue and Tyler Challenger (1) was able to direct the puck off McIvor for his first OHL goal as well.
That gave Erie a 2-1 lead before the Battalion goal could even be announced and the lead held through the rest of the period.
“I liked him in the Soo but I think he was a completely different player tonight,” Oulahen said on Wellenreiter.
“He looks like he’s gotten comfortable and he knows the identity of how we want to play and he was on the puck a lot tonight.
“He made some really good plays, second and third efforts, the really nice goal, and he’s going to be a good player for us.”
Almost five minutes into the second the Troops got caught puck watching, resulting in what looked like an easy tick-tack-toe goal by Erie. Sam Alfano (14) was the beneficiary as he had a wide open net to tap the puck into after the slick passing play.
The Troops responded with a nice goal of their own just under three minutes later. In his own end, Jacob LeBlanc sent a stretch pass that missed all the Battalion players up ice, but Dylan Richter, showing off his speed, beat out the icing. Picking up the puck, Richter circled the net and found Moses (6) alone in the slot, and the big forward one timed the pass home.
“I thought he had a good game tonight,” Oulahen explained on Richter’s efforts.
“There’s somebody that we have looked at for adding a little bit, and it looked like he had some confidence and made a really nice play on the goal.”
North Bay managed to tie the game at 3-3 just under two minutes later as Ryder Carey (4) caught a rebound from Lirim Amidovski alone in the slot, beating Erliden. Getting the secondary assist on the goal was North Bay’s Briir Long, registering his first OHL point.
The score remained tied 3-3 heading into the third.
After back and forth action for both teams, the game headed to overtime where Matthew Schaefer (7), used a burst of speed and then deked McIvor to his back hand to give Erie the win.
Not to be forgotten about, McIvor made 40 stops on 44 shots, including some late game heroics.
“He was awesome,” Oulahen stated.
“I have said it before, he’s been if not the best, one of our best players right from the start. He’s just dialled in. Some of those saves he made in overtime were just ridiculous.
“Sometimes when you see that you think you’re going to get your chance, but eventually one of those chances will go in.”
Former head coach of the Battalion Stan Butler made his third trip to Memorial Gardens looking to add to his record against the Battalion. Coming into Thursday, Butler was 2-1 at the Gardens, and 2-2 overall against North Bay since being hired as head coach of the Otters. Butler was head coach of the Brampton/North Bay Battalion from 1998-December 10, 2019.
North Bay is next in action Sunday when they welcome the Flint Firebirds to town. Puck drop from Memorial Gardens is 2 p.m.
